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Dr. Mütter's Marvels: A True Tale of Intrigue and Innovation at the Dawn of Modern Medicine
Imagine undergoing an operation without anesthesia performed by a surgeon who refuses to sterilize his tools—or even wash his hands. This was the world of medicine when Thomas Dent Mütter began his trailblazing career as a plastic surgeon in Philadelphia during the middle of the nineteenth century.
Although he died at just forty-eight, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time.
Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum.
Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz chronicles how Mütter’s efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation—despite intense resistance from his numerous rivals.
Although he died at just forty-eight, Mütter was an audacious medical innovator who pioneered the use of ether as anesthesia, the sterilization of surgical tools, and a compassion-based vision for helping the severely deformed, which clashed spectacularly with the sentiments of his time.
Brilliant, outspoken, and brazenly handsome, Mütter was flamboyant in every aspect of his life. He wore pink silk suits to perform surgery, added an umlaut to his last name just because he could, and amassed an immense collection of medical oddities that would later form the basis of Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum.
Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz chronicles how Mütter’s efforts helped establish Philadelphia as a global mecca for medical innovation—despite intense resistance from his numerous rivals.
371 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2014
About the author
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
22 books112 followersCristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is an American poet who was recently awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry.
She is the author of five books of poetry, including the recently released Everything is Everthing (Write Bloody Publishing), as well as the canonical slam history, Words in Your Face (Soft Skull Press), which U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins wrote “leaves no doubt that the slam poetry scene has achieved legitimacy and taken its rightful place on the map of contemporary literature.”
Founder of the three-time National Poetry Slam Championship venue, NYC-Urbana, Cristin has toured widely with her poetry, at venues as diverse as NYC’s Joe’s Pub, LA’s Largo Theatre and Australia’s Sydney Opera House. Cristin’s poetry books are published on Write Bloody Press, and available at all online & brick-and-order bookstores.
Her poetry has appeared (or is forthcoming) in McSweeney’s Internet Tendencies, Rattle, Pank, Barrelhouse, MonkeyBicycle, decomP, Conduit and La Petite Zine (among others), as well as in anthologies such as Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Spoken Word, Learn Then Burn: Modern Poetry For the Classroom, Bowery Women and Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution (among others).
She is the author of five books of poetry, including the recently released Everything is Everthing (Write Bloody Publishing), as well as the canonical slam history, Words in Your Face (Soft Skull Press), which U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins wrote “leaves no doubt that the slam poetry scene has achieved legitimacy and taken its rightful place on the map of contemporary literature.”
Founder of the three-time National Poetry Slam Championship venue, NYC-Urbana, Cristin has toured widely with her poetry, at venues as diverse as NYC’s Joe’s Pub, LA’s Largo Theatre and Australia’s Sydney Opera House. Cristin’s poetry books are published on Write Bloody Press, and available at all online & brick-and-order bookstores.
Her poetry has appeared (or is forthcoming) in McSweeney’s Internet Tendencies, Rattle, Pank, Barrelhouse, MonkeyBicycle, decomP, Conduit and La Petite Zine (among others), as well as in anthologies such as Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Spoken Word, Learn Then Burn: Modern Poetry For the Classroom, Bowery Women and Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution (among others).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,038 reviews
July 3, 2014
The readers who will love this book are those who prefer their history presented as fictionalized adventure starring a hero who triumphs over a villain and becomes a Great Man. Such readers will not mind that a great deal of this “true tale” derives from Aptowicz’s imagination: the long description of Mütter’s imagined seasickness during his first ocean voyage, the imagined half-eaten Parisian meals right down to the imagined menu, the imagined smiles exchanged by doctor and patient following surgery to repair a cleft palate. (If I had just had my cleft palate repaired without being anesthetized, I don’t think I’d be smiling right after the operation—but this is Aptowicz’s imagination, not mine.)
The readers who will not love this book are those who prefer their history based on thorough research and intelligent scholarship. Here’s why.
Aptowicz admits that she found Mütter a difficult subject to research. What few primary sources exist —19th-century anecdotes, panegyrics upon Mütter’s death, one speech, a medical notebook—are not numerous or objective enough to compose anything like a complete picture of the man. Aptowicz’s next step should have been to look at scholarly secondary sources that could have helped her determine what might logically fill in the gaps in her narrative. An example of such a source is Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History and Medicine and Public Health, published by the University of Wisconsin Press, a standard university text. This step would have helped the author understand the cultural and intellectual context in which Mütter lived and worked.
But this was not her next step. She cites no academic article, no book published by a university press, nothing written by an authoritative historian. Her single scholarly resource was a Norton anthology of historical excerpts. This book is the only source listed for Aptowicz’s entire Chapter Eleven, but we never learn the authors or the titles of the excerpted works because the book is cited 23 times only by editor. Clearly, scholarly research is not Aptowicz’s forte. (Her website advertises her as a poet and performer.) With the exception of this anthology, Aptowicz’s sources are not scholarly. She relies heavily on a mysterious unpublished biographical sketch of Mütter by an associate professor of dentistry. She also cites a couple of coffee-table picture books, a 19th-century student’s romanticized recollections of Paris, and so on. (Sources are presented only in notes. There’s no bibliography.)
As a result of not consulting modern scholarship, Aptowicz attributes to Mütter attitudes and opinions that are simply not credible given his time and education. For instance, she says that Mütter “did not believe there was any biological difference between the races past the superficial,” defining race as “all the different skin colors that humans can possess” (page 248 of the advance proof). Aptowicz’s assertion ignores that fact that medical practitioners of the mid-19th century did not define race as merely variation in skin color. Educated people of Mütter’s time defined race to encompass variations in intelligence, family and community structure, “moral character,” group behavior, religious and artistic tendencies, temperament, and many other factors that we now categorize as cultural rather than biological. A video released by Mütter’s own museum explains that the white medical establishment’s understanding of African American bodies began only during the Civil War (years after Mütter’s death), when army surgeons learned to treat the diseases and wounds of black soldiers (http://muttermuseum.org/videos/broken...).
Mütter’s best memorial is still his museum, not this book. Visit the museum or its website (http://muttermuseum.org/).
The readers who will not love this book are those who prefer their history based on thorough research and intelligent scholarship. Here’s why.
Aptowicz admits that she found Mütter a difficult subject to research. What few primary sources exist —19th-century anecdotes, panegyrics upon Mütter’s death, one speech, a medical notebook—are not numerous or objective enough to compose anything like a complete picture of the man. Aptowicz’s next step should have been to look at scholarly secondary sources that could have helped her determine what might logically fill in the gaps in her narrative. An example of such a source is Sickness and Health in America: Readings in the History and Medicine and Public Health, published by the University of Wisconsin Press, a standard university text. This step would have helped the author understand the cultural and intellectual context in which Mütter lived and worked.
But this was not her next step. She cites no academic article, no book published by a university press, nothing written by an authoritative historian. Her single scholarly resource was a Norton anthology of historical excerpts. This book is the only source listed for Aptowicz’s entire Chapter Eleven, but we never learn the authors or the titles of the excerpted works because the book is cited 23 times only by editor. Clearly, scholarly research is not Aptowicz’s forte. (Her website advertises her as a poet and performer.) With the exception of this anthology, Aptowicz’s sources are not scholarly. She relies heavily on a mysterious unpublished biographical sketch of Mütter by an associate professor of dentistry. She also cites a couple of coffee-table picture books, a 19th-century student’s romanticized recollections of Paris, and so on. (Sources are presented only in notes. There’s no bibliography.)
As a result of not consulting modern scholarship, Aptowicz attributes to Mütter attitudes and opinions that are simply not credible given his time and education. For instance, she says that Mütter “did not believe there was any biological difference between the races past the superficial,” defining race as “all the different skin colors that humans can possess” (page 248 of the advance proof). Aptowicz’s assertion ignores that fact that medical practitioners of the mid-19th century did not define race as merely variation in skin color. Educated people of Mütter’s time defined race to encompass variations in intelligence, family and community structure, “moral character,” group behavior, religious and artistic tendencies, temperament, and many other factors that we now categorize as cultural rather than biological. A video released by Mütter’s own museum explains that the white medical establishment’s understanding of African American bodies began only during the Civil War (years after Mütter’s death), when army surgeons learned to treat the diseases and wounds of black soldiers (http://muttermuseum.org/videos/broken...).
Mütter’s best memorial is still his museum, not this book. Visit the museum or its website (http://muttermuseum.org/).
March 13, 2017
***4 FULL stars***
What a magnificent biography! This should be required reading material for anyone intersted in pursuing a career in medicine, or just intersted in history - because it's truly immersing and eye-opening.
Though the novel is called "Dr. Mutters Marvels", it's not only about him - but also about the many other doctors whom he'd worked with and had been inspired by throughout his life. Mainly, however, it was about his story and his rise in fame (obviously), and how medicine and surgery progressed (and how many of those progresses were because of him!).
But it's such a shame Dr. Mutter passed away so young - to think of how much more he could have accomplished had he not been sick!
Overall, this should be a novel read by everyone - especially those who love medicine, history, or work in Healthcare. It exhibits how much medicine has advanced in America - and you'll especially be shocked with how surgeries were handled 150 years ago! It's almost disturbing to read in detail - yet, truly fascinating!
What a magnificent biography! This should be required reading material for anyone intersted in pursuing a career in medicine, or just intersted in history - because it's truly immersing and eye-opening.
Though the novel is called "Dr. Mutters Marvels", it's not only about him - but also about the many other doctors whom he'd worked with and had been inspired by throughout his life. Mainly, however, it was about his story and his rise in fame (obviously), and how medicine and surgery progressed (and how many of those progresses were because of him!).
But it's such a shame Dr. Mutter passed away so young - to think of how much more he could have accomplished had he not been sick!
Overall, this should be a novel read by everyone - especially those who love medicine, history, or work in Healthcare. It exhibits how much medicine has advanced in America - and you'll especially be shocked with how surgeries were handled 150 years ago! It's almost disturbing to read in detail - yet, truly fascinating!
August 1, 2014
I have never before found it difficult to put down a biography. Aptowicz's work is sensitive, informative, and enchanting - a work of elegant prose and loving research. A beautiful book about a beautiful man who, thanks to Aptowicz, is now further protected from obscurity.
July 17, 2024
3.5 His parents cherished him as a young boy but he would lose his whole family to illness. Despite this, he would become a fantastic surgeon and although dying early, he would leave a lasting legacy.
Wonderfully told, entertainingly written, the is a story of a man ahead of his time. He believed in cleanliness of supplies, room and person, at a time when doctors would routinely pass germs from one person to the next. He would discover the use of ether as a pain reliever, at a time when surgery was performed giving the patient only wine. In fact hospitals kept large amounts of wine for just this purpose.. He became entranced with medical oddities, wanted to fix these for people and help them have better lives. But it was the empathy he had for his patients that impressed me the most.
A look at the medical schools and doctor's training in the 1800's. Once again so glad I live now and not then, though I think a few doctors could still learn empathy from Dr. Mutter.
Wonderfully told, entertainingly written, the is a story of a man ahead of his time. He believed in cleanliness of supplies, room and person, at a time when doctors would routinely pass germs from one person to the next. He would discover the use of ether as a pain reliever, at a time when surgery was performed giving the patient only wine. In fact hospitals kept large amounts of wine for just this purpose.. He became entranced with medical oddities, wanted to fix these for people and help them have better lives. But it was the empathy he had for his patients that impressed me the most.
A look at the medical schools and doctor's training in the 1800's. Once again so glad I live now and not then, though I think a few doctors could still learn empathy from Dr. Mutter.
September 21, 2015
I can honestly say I have never read a book quite like this one before.
Fiction and fact, blended together so seamlessly that it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. To know when something was fictionalized from dramatic sake or because it really happened.
Either way, this book was quite interesting. No, quite fascinating and dare I say, even fun?
Once again I find myself in unfamiliar territory with this read. Something I never would have picked up on my own but truly enjoyed.
I confess that I knew nothing about Dr. Thomas Mutter but am now quite curious about his life work and all the medical advances he made throughout his career. In fact, I would love to visit Philadelphia and see the museum that was erected in his honor and all the oddities that live there.
The author did a fabulous job blended the fact with the fiction and making this read not only somewhat mesmerizing, but entertaining as well. I truly had fun learning about this remarkable professor and doctor and all that he had to offer the world, some of which, is still practiced today.
If you are looking for a different kind of historical read, then this is the read for you.
*A review copy of this was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Fiction and fact, blended together so seamlessly that it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. To know when something was fictionalized from dramatic sake or because it really happened.
Either way, this book was quite interesting. No, quite fascinating and dare I say, even fun?
Once again I find myself in unfamiliar territory with this read. Something I never would have picked up on my own but truly enjoyed.
I confess that I knew nothing about Dr. Thomas Mutter but am now quite curious about his life work and all the medical advances he made throughout his career. In fact, I would love to visit Philadelphia and see the museum that was erected in his honor and all the oddities that live there.
The author did a fabulous job blended the fact with the fiction and making this read not only somewhat mesmerizing, but entertaining as well. I truly had fun learning about this remarkable professor and doctor and all that he had to offer the world, some of which, is still practiced today.
If you are looking for a different kind of historical read, then this is the read for you.
*A review copy of this was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
February 25, 2015
If you have ever been to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, which houses one of the largest collections of medical oddities in America, it is more likely you will walk out of the museum with your head full of questions such as "Why did that woman turn into soap?" and "How did that guy walk around with a 300 pound colon?" However, you might not ask yourself, "Who collected all of this weird, freaky stuff and why?" and that's what Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's new book seeks to answer.
Who was Thomas Dent Mutter?
Turns out he was one of the most innovative characters in early medical history who revolutionized the practice of plastic surgery, the use of ether and clean instruments during surgery and pretty much the concept of outpatient care!
The author does a great job taking us back to the pre-Civil War era of medicine in Philadelphia and to the founding of the Jefferson Medical College where Mutter lectured and performed his surgeries. It's amazing how crude and primitive seems compared to the state of the medical advances we have today.
I don't want to spoil too much of the book here, but I found it to be a very engaging read. If you like David McCullough or Erik Larson's books, you are going to enjoy the fascinating story of Mutter!
Also, there are lots of pictures scattered throughout the book and most chapters start with words of wisdom from Mutter himself! A very well-designed book!
Who was Thomas Dent Mutter?
Turns out he was one of the most innovative characters in early medical history who revolutionized the practice of plastic surgery, the use of ether and clean instruments during surgery and pretty much the concept of outpatient care!
The author does a great job taking us back to the pre-Civil War era of medicine in Philadelphia and to the founding of the Jefferson Medical College where Mutter lectured and performed his surgeries. It's amazing how crude and primitive seems compared to the state of the medical advances we have today.
I don't want to spoil too much of the book here, but I found it to be a very engaging read. If you like David McCullough or Erik Larson's books, you are going to enjoy the fascinating story of Mutter!
Also, there are lots of pictures scattered throughout the book and most chapters start with words of wisdom from Mutter himself! A very well-designed book!
June 24, 2018
A few years back, the hubs (then boyfriend) and I visited the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia, because I'm kind of morbid and curious like that, and it was something to do. For such a small museum, it was packed with interesting bones and tools and casts and molds, as well as the stories behind them. It was fascinating, as well as somewhat sad, to think that these were artifacts from real people who existed... and were considered "monsters" because of a fluke of biology, or an accident, or simply a side-effect of being poor and so desperate for work that you'll work in literally toxic factories.
I bought this cute tote bag:
At the time, I didn't realize that the Mutter Museum was literally the life's work and collection of a man. I suppose, had I thought about it at all, the most museums are created and endowed by individuals... but I didn't think about it until I read this book and had my "Ohhhhhh!" moment.
I think that I probably would have picked up this book regardless of my previously having been to the Mutter Museum (morbid and curious, remember?) because who could pass up this cover, and this title? It's creepy and intriguing. And I'm glad that I did not pass it up, because the story told here was truly fascinating and awesome.
Within this book, we are granted a glimpse into the life of a man that would help shape the course of modern medicine, a man who seemingly invented "bedside manner" - at least in the US - and one who took pride in putting the care and comfort and decision-making power in the hands of his patients, rather than assuming that their knowledge and comfort was unnecessary.
This biography not only tells about Dr. Mutter himself, but also the environment that he existed within - Philadelphia in the mid-19th century was a crazy place, full of people, illnesses, accidents, and ignorance. Science had not yet discovered microbes, so we're talking about the kind of ignorance that thinks that illness is caused by "breathing bad air" or "too much blood". Medicine was often brutal, and often was riskier than just dealing with the illness itself. When you're sick with cholera from drinking from dirty river water, and shitting your guts out, the last thing that you want is some "doctor" bleeding you dry to try to draw out the illness via your blood. Seems counter-intuitive to me... but I live in a modern era, thankfully, which has benefited from a century's worth of science since then.
But this is the kind of environment that Mutter was working in, and his ideas regarding the spread of illness via dirty tools and hands was... unwelcome. Many were insulted by the mere thought. These were DOCTORS. They don't SPREAD disease, they CURE it. (Or the patient dies trying. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.)
But thankfully, in the end he was vindicated, as it was proven that failing to clean up after one's self and tools after touching or performing surgery on someone with an illness DOES actually contribute to the spread of said illness in subsequent people treated. Cray cray, I know.
He was also an early adopter of using ether anesthesia while performing surgeries, though this too was unpopular at the time. Some thought that pain was necessary for healing, and others thought that pain was "God ordained" and shouldn't be meddled with. (Though how they reckoned this with the fact that they were going against the "God ordained" illness or injury or malady or whatever and trying to heal it... I don't know.)
This "God wills it" pain argument was popular with Charles Meigs, obstetrician, who was a colleague of Dr. Mutter, and one that he bumped ideological heads with often. He (Meigs) was delightful... If you enjoy condescension and cruelty with your malpractice and closed-minded "I am a MAN, so of course I know what's best for WOMEN" misogyny. Yup. The guy who was supposed to help women with their pregnancies, deliveries, and general lady part health... was a raging boastful misogynist, who thought that eternal childbearing pain as punishment for original sin was totally valid as an argument against anesthesia for women.
Bet he was just a HOOT at parties.
Anywho... This book covers a lot of ground, considering that Mutter's life was actually pretty short. He died at 47, but managed to accomplish so much during that time, and help so many people, that the end of the book, where his students and colleagues and friends were memorializing him, it brought a tear to my eye.
This was a man who wanted to help people who were hopeless and optionless, and he did just that. He was smart, daring, willing to try new techniques and treatments... but most importantly, he was honest and empathetic with his patients. He didn't treat them as though they were lesser beings just because they were ill or disfigured or disabled. He treated everyone with dignity and respect.
And if that is not the kind of message that I think we all need right now, I don't know what is.
I bought this cute tote bag:
At the time, I didn't realize that the Mutter Museum was literally the life's work and collection of a man. I suppose, had I thought about it at all, the most museums are created and endowed by individuals... but I didn't think about it until I read this book and had my "Ohhhhhh!" moment.
I think that I probably would have picked up this book regardless of my previously having been to the Mutter Museum (morbid and curious, remember?) because who could pass up this cover, and this title? It's creepy and intriguing. And I'm glad that I did not pass it up, because the story told here was truly fascinating and awesome.
Within this book, we are granted a glimpse into the life of a man that would help shape the course of modern medicine, a man who seemingly invented "bedside manner" - at least in the US - and one who took pride in putting the care and comfort and decision-making power in the hands of his patients, rather than assuming that their knowledge and comfort was unnecessary.
This biography not only tells about Dr. Mutter himself, but also the environment that he existed within - Philadelphia in the mid-19th century was a crazy place, full of people, illnesses, accidents, and ignorance. Science had not yet discovered microbes, so we're talking about the kind of ignorance that thinks that illness is caused by "breathing bad air" or "too much blood". Medicine was often brutal, and often was riskier than just dealing with the illness itself. When you're sick with cholera from drinking from dirty river water, and shitting your guts out, the last thing that you want is some "doctor" bleeding you dry to try to draw out the illness via your blood. Seems counter-intuitive to me... but I live in a modern era, thankfully, which has benefited from a century's worth of science since then.
But this is the kind of environment that Mutter was working in, and his ideas regarding the spread of illness via dirty tools and hands was... unwelcome. Many were insulted by the mere thought. These were DOCTORS. They don't SPREAD disease, they CURE it. (Or the patient dies trying. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.)
But thankfully, in the end he was vindicated, as it was proven that failing to clean up after one's self and tools after touching or performing surgery on someone with an illness DOES actually contribute to the spread of said illness in subsequent people treated. Cray cray, I know.
He was also an early adopter of using ether anesthesia while performing surgeries, though this too was unpopular at the time. Some thought that pain was necessary for healing, and others thought that pain was "God ordained" and shouldn't be meddled with. (Though how they reckoned this with the fact that they were going against the "God ordained" illness or injury or malady or whatever and trying to heal it... I don't know.)
This "God wills it" pain argument was popular with Charles Meigs, obstetrician, who was a colleague of Dr. Mutter, and one that he bumped ideological heads with often. He (Meigs) was delightful... If you enjoy condescension and cruelty with your malpractice and closed-minded "I am a MAN, so of course I know what's best for WOMEN" misogyny. Yup. The guy who was supposed to help women with their pregnancies, deliveries, and general lady part health... was a raging boastful misogynist, who thought that eternal childbearing pain as punishment for original sin was totally valid as an argument against anesthesia for women.
Bet he was just a HOOT at parties.
Anywho... This book covers a lot of ground, considering that Mutter's life was actually pretty short. He died at 47, but managed to accomplish so much during that time, and help so many people, that the end of the book, where his students and colleagues and friends were memorializing him, it brought a tear to my eye.
This was a man who wanted to help people who were hopeless and optionless, and he did just that. He was smart, daring, willing to try new techniques and treatments... but most importantly, he was honest and empathetic with his patients. He didn't treat them as though they were lesser beings just because they were ill or disfigured or disabled. He treated everyone with dignity and respect.
And if that is not the kind of message that I think we all need right now, I don't know what is.
August 26, 2014
I was somewhat familiar with Dr. Thomas Mütter, the famed 19th century Professor of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, whose personal collection and funding led to the creation of The Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which is my favorite museum of medical history. However, after reading Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz's fascinating and compulsively readable biography of Mütter I realized how little I knew about him, and how influential he was to the development of modern surgery, the advancement of medicine as a science, and the reformation of medical education in Philadelphia and the United States.
Thomas Dent Mutter (1811-1859) was born to a mother from an established Virginia family and a father who was a hard working first generation Scottish immigrant. Although the Mutters were happy and modestly successful at the time of Thom's birth the family of four was quickly struck down by illness, and by 1818 he was an orphan with no surviving close relatives. Fortune did shine on young Thomas, as he was soon adopted by Robert Wormelely Carter, a wealthy Virginia landowner who was a distant cousin of his mother. Carter supported Thomas's educational endeavors, and after he realized that medicine was his calling he graduated from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 20.
After graduation Mutter (who changed his name to Mütter, in keeping with his flamboyant lifestyle and dress) sailed to Paris, where he learned the latest surgical techniques under the leading practitioners there, including the legendary Guillaume Dupuytren. He returned to Philadelphia, but he was unable to establish a successful practice as a general surgeon despite his clinical skill and growing reputation in the city's medical community. Mütter began teaching at the Medical Institute in Philadelphia, and soon afterward he joined the faculty at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia's second medical college after the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. There he quickly became a revered instructor who was noted for his active engagement of his students during his lectures, along with his skill in the operating theater and the compassion he showed to his patients before and especially during surgery, at a time when anesthesia was limited to wine and other spirits.
Mütter was closely linked to several advancements and innovations in 19th century surgery and medicine, including the use of a patient's own skin to form surgical grafts; the utilization of ether as an effective anesthetic agent during surgery; the adoption of antiseptic techniques to reduce the likelihood of postoperative infections and puerperal (childbed) fever; and the creation of postoperative hospital wards, where patients would be closely and compassionately cared for under his watchful eye.
Sadly, Mütter suffered from ill health throughout his life, which curtailed his brilliant career as a surgeon and teacher. Fortunately he ensured his legacy with the creation of the Mütter Museum, which opened in 1863 and moved to its current location on 22nd Street between Market and Chestnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia in 1909. The museum is open to the general public seven days per week.
Aptowicz does a superb job in her portrayal of Mütter, as her interest in and enthusiasm for the surgeon shines on every page. The book is written for a general audience, and it is filled with rich detail about the history of early and mid 19th century medicine, medical education and surgery. Dr. Mütter's Marvels is a captivating study of one of the most interesting and influential physicians in American history, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Thomas Dent Mutter (1811-1859) was born to a mother from an established Virginia family and a father who was a hard working first generation Scottish immigrant. Although the Mutters were happy and modestly successful at the time of Thom's birth the family of four was quickly struck down by illness, and by 1818 he was an orphan with no surviving close relatives. Fortune did shine on young Thomas, as he was soon adopted by Robert Wormelely Carter, a wealthy Virginia landowner who was a distant cousin of his mother. Carter supported Thomas's educational endeavors, and after he realized that medicine was his calling he graduated from the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania at the age of 20.
After graduation Mutter (who changed his name to Mütter, in keeping with his flamboyant lifestyle and dress) sailed to Paris, where he learned the latest surgical techniques under the leading practitioners there, including the legendary Guillaume Dupuytren. He returned to Philadelphia, but he was unable to establish a successful practice as a general surgeon despite his clinical skill and growing reputation in the city's medical community. Mütter began teaching at the Medical Institute in Philadelphia, and soon afterward he joined the faculty at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia's second medical college after the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. There he quickly became a revered instructor who was noted for his active engagement of his students during his lectures, along with his skill in the operating theater and the compassion he showed to his patients before and especially during surgery, at a time when anesthesia was limited to wine and other spirits.
Mütter was closely linked to several advancements and innovations in 19th century surgery and medicine, including the use of a patient's own skin to form surgical grafts; the utilization of ether as an effective anesthetic agent during surgery; the adoption of antiseptic techniques to reduce the likelihood of postoperative infections and puerperal (childbed) fever; and the creation of postoperative hospital wards, where patients would be closely and compassionately cared for under his watchful eye.
Sadly, Mütter suffered from ill health throughout his life, which curtailed his brilliant career as a surgeon and teacher. Fortunately he ensured his legacy with the creation of the Mütter Museum, which opened in 1863 and moved to its current location on 22nd Street between Market and Chestnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia in 1909. The museum is open to the general public seven days per week.
Aptowicz does a superb job in her portrayal of Mütter, as her interest in and enthusiasm for the surgeon shines on every page. The book is written for a general audience, and it is filled with rich detail about the history of early and mid 19th century medicine, medical education and surgery. Dr. Mütter's Marvels is a captivating study of one of the most interesting and influential physicians in American history, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
June 27, 2014
Most excellent book!
Written in a way that draws in the reader, as with a beloved mystery, this non-fiction book compels the reader forward with brilliant use of language and creates an accessibility for the laymen that isn't in any way "dumbed-down".
While having been fascinated by the Mutter Museum and its treasures, I had no idea how many contributions Thomas Mutter made to modern medicine, including the most basic hygiene in an era where germs had yet to be discovered and contagions were considered superstition; pre- and post-operative patient care (including recovery rooms!); and an empathetic approach to dealing with patients as humans with lives rather than simply cases to be logged.
A brilliant, fascinating read, I highly recommend it.
Written in a way that draws in the reader, as with a beloved mystery, this non-fiction book compels the reader forward with brilliant use of language and creates an accessibility for the laymen that isn't in any way "dumbed-down".
While having been fascinated by the Mutter Museum and its treasures, I had no idea how many contributions Thomas Mutter made to modern medicine, including the most basic hygiene in an era where germs had yet to be discovered and contagions were considered superstition; pre- and post-operative patient care (including recovery rooms!); and an empathetic approach to dealing with patients as humans with lives rather than simply cases to be logged.
A brilliant, fascinating read, I highly recommend it.
August 20, 2015
This should be a mandatory reading for anyone in medical profession. Wonderful story of a man whose determination and talent created and transformed field of surgery and medicine. Now I want to go to Philadelphia to see his museum.
November 20, 2014
WOW!!! This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Cristin's writing style is unsurpassed. Filled with stories and facts that can easily boggle the mind, Cristin lays it out so fluidly and effortlessly. Easily followed and understood, the reader is captivated by each and every page that follows the life of Dr. Mutter and those around him. Definitely a book that deserves to be on everyone's shelf!
December 11, 2022
Off the bat, one thing I feared had to do with being too explicit and gory. Well, there was some of that, but not enough to deter me from an otherwise very interesting, well-presented book. I felt the author did a great job working with what must have been a limited amount of material to bring the doctor's personality to life, as it were.
The poor guy first of must have suffered from abandonment issues as his mother died when he was a toddler, his father died when he was not much older, and then his grandmother who was named guardian in his father's will, died not long after he arrived there. The executor of his father's estate had some difficulty placing him with a guardian, based on fear that he had serious inherited health issues. As it turned out, he was in poor health much of his life, but the main issue seemed to me that he was a somewhat precocious kid (brat?), later morphing into an eccentric adult.
That aside, he was absolutely a brilliant caring doctor, treating all patients equally only based on the symptoms they presented, not any other factor in their lives. One novel surgical procedure (the Mutter flap) is still used routinely today, so in that sense his legacy lives on.
I wasn't as wild about the story when it focused on some of his contemporaries instead, finding the story of the development of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as an early anesthetic to be more interesting instead. At a suffragette exhibit at a museum in London, I asked a woman attendee how someone could possibly object to expanding voting, receiving a reply that it's impossible to rationalize irrationality. Sadly, here we also read about virulent opposition to the ridiculous idea that women should attend medical school.
Verdict: I'm glad I read the book for a challenge category. To me, the target audience would be those interested in medicine and science. If you know such people, this would make an excellent gift
The poor guy first of must have suffered from abandonment issues as his mother died when he was a toddler, his father died when he was not much older, and then his grandmother who was named guardian in his father's will, died not long after he arrived there. The executor of his father's estate had some difficulty placing him with a guardian, based on fear that he had serious inherited health issues. As it turned out, he was in poor health much of his life, but the main issue seemed to me that he was a somewhat precocious kid (brat?), later morphing into an eccentric adult.
That aside, he was absolutely a brilliant caring doctor, treating all patients equally only based on the symptoms they presented, not any other factor in their lives. One novel surgical procedure (the Mutter flap) is still used routinely today, so in that sense his legacy lives on.
I wasn't as wild about the story when it focused on some of his contemporaries instead, finding the story of the development of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as an early anesthetic to be more interesting instead. At a suffragette exhibit at a museum in London, I asked a woman attendee how someone could possibly object to expanding voting, receiving a reply that it's impossible to rationalize irrationality. Sadly, here we also read about virulent opposition to the ridiculous idea that women should attend medical school.
Verdict: I'm glad I read the book for a challenge category. To me, the target audience would be those interested in medicine and science. If you know such people, this would make an excellent gift
September 18, 2015
Extremely interesting story of a man not many have probably heard of. Dr. Mutter practiced medicine, or practiced what was called 'medicine' in his time, during the mid to late 1800s. This was a time when cleanliness apparently was not considered close to godliness, doctors saw no reason in washing their hands between treating patients, or cleaning their instruments between surgeries, which not surprisingly, caused a lot of pain and death of patients rather than healing them. Dr Mutter was one of the first to proclaim the merits of cleanliness and anesthesia, which at this time was not used. He became most famous for his work in plastic surgery for people with facial deformities, cleft palates, and especially burns, in which he created the 'Mutter flap' which is still used in burn surgery today. Very interesting look at the times and the ways doctors worked.
I was reminded of Taylor Caldwell's Testimony of Two Men which is about a young doctor in the 1800s trying to get doctors to wash hands and their instruments. She has said the story was based on a real doctor who she would not name, but someone her father, a doctor in the Philadelphia area which is where Dr Mutter practiced, knew.
I can't help but wonder if the 'hero' in her book is him.
I was reminded of Taylor Caldwell's Testimony of Two Men which is about a young doctor in the 1800s trying to get doctors to wash hands and their instruments. She has said the story was based on a real doctor who she would not name, but someone her father, a doctor in the Philadelphia area which is where Dr Mutter practiced, knew.
I can't help but wonder if the 'hero' in her book is him.
July 25, 2014
This was an enjoyable read. Mutter's career saw many big changes in medical theory and practice, and the author celebrates his role in championing plastic surgery for the deformed and burn victims, the use of anesthesia, germ theory, and the importance cleanliness; the author also argues that his compassion and insistence that patients be treated with dignity and decency were perhaps his greatest legacy, for many of his students went on to great things. Today he is best remembered for the surgical technique that bears his name (using a flap of skin to repair or replace damaged tissue) and for Philadelphia's famous Mutter Museum, which houses a massive collection of medical specimens and oddities.
Because of his pioneering work in plastic/restorative surgery, and perhaps because of the museum, the book does include a number of illustrations and descriptions that make this something you won't want to read while eating. This is probably to be expected in any book about 19th century medicine, though.
*full disclosure, I won a free copy of this book via the Goodreads "first-reads" program and was asked to post a review.*
Because of his pioneering work in plastic/restorative surgery, and perhaps because of the museum, the book does include a number of illustrations and descriptions that make this something you won't want to read while eating. This is probably to be expected in any book about 19th century medicine, though.
*full disclosure, I won a free copy of this book via the Goodreads "first-reads" program and was asked to post a review.*
May 18, 2016
A highly readable biography of the seemingly kindest doctor I've ever heard about. This is also a great overview of innovation in early American medicine. If you can't handle descriptions of surgeries, then I wouldn't recommend this. I found them harrowing at times, but appropriate and helpful in understanding what early medicine looked like. I wanted to visit the Mutter Museum before, but I want to see it even more now!
October 25, 2014
This was not what I expected--it was much better! From the cover and the description I went in thinking it would probably be vaguely creepy (and that I probably wouldn't finish it). Then I started it and was surprised again by the format--lots of illustrations and "filler" pages that looked attractive but mainly added bulk but no text, so that I began to feel as if I was reading "biography lite." Fortunately, the writing itself is so good that I was sucked into the narrative despite my preconceived notions and prejudices, and ended up thoroughly enjoying this early look at medical practices--and particularly plastic surgery--in the U.S. Entertaining as well as informative, it inescapably makes one regret 1. that Dr. Mutter died so young, when there were still so many people he could have helped; and 2. that plastic surgery, which is seen here as a truly noble profession, has turning into the Hollywood joke that it largely is today. (I know that it must also be frequently practiced on behalf of those who truly need it as a result of burns, accidents, or birth defects: but, honestly, who hears about those cases nowadays?)
As for the "lite" effect, the reason for this was explained by the author at the end, in citing the absence of diaries and personal letters left by the principle characters. Given this lack, I think she did a masterful job of pulling together what sources were available to fashion a complete narrative. And I want to go see the Mutter Museum!
As for the "lite" effect, the reason for this was explained by the author at the end, in citing the absence of diaries and personal letters left by the principle characters. Given this lack, I think she did a masterful job of pulling together what sources were available to fashion a complete narrative. And I want to go see the Mutter Museum!
March 5, 2015
I've said it before and I'll say it again - thank goodness for modern medicine! I visited Dr. Mutter's museum in Philadelphia years ago and would love to revisit it now that I know more about his life, contributions, and philosophies.
August 23, 2024
4 stars
I like a nonfiction book that reads like fiction - and this book fit that bill.
During his short life Dr Mutter helped advance a number of medical practices - most of which are still in use in some form today. His ideas were often ignored for years, although he was a favored professor, until he could prove their benefit. Such as anesthesia, and doctor cleanliness to avoid transferring infection, sterilization of both the room and the surgical instruments. He championed the first attempt at what we know today as plastic surgery, often referred to as a persons 'last chance'. He preached equality in all his lectures and to maintain compassion at all times. Mutter lived during the early 1800's and was instrumental in changing the way medicine was practiced.
I like a nonfiction book that reads like fiction - and this book fit that bill.
During his short life Dr Mutter helped advance a number of medical practices - most of which are still in use in some form today. His ideas were often ignored for years, although he was a favored professor, until he could prove their benefit. Such as anesthesia, and doctor cleanliness to avoid transferring infection, sterilization of both the room and the surgical instruments. He championed the first attempt at what we know today as plastic surgery, often referred to as a persons 'last chance'. He preached equality in all his lectures and to maintain compassion at all times. Mutter lived during the early 1800's and was instrumental in changing the way medicine was practiced.
July 19, 2014
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This is very good narrative non-fiction.
Before my copy arrived, I read a couple of the negative reviews posted on Goodreads, and I was concerned. However, now that I have read Aptowicz's book, I find I disagree with most of what these negative reviews say.
I really enjoy narrative non-fiction done right. But that is what this is: narrative. If you want only historical facts presented textbook-style (which I also enjoy, by the way), then you might not like this book. But if you enjoyed books such as Larson's The Devil In The White City or Johnson's The Ghost Map, then Dr. Mutter's Marvels is probably a good choice.
This book tells the story of a remarkable genius who is not well known outside of Philadelphia and/or the medical community. Thomas Dent Mütter was fabulous, flamboyant, controversial, and way ahead of his time in the field of plastic surgery -- and also in progressive ideas such as cleanliness, treating patients with respect, and using ether to make surgeries easier for both patients and doctors.
I was pleased with the amount of notes available for me to check the research, as I am always suspicious of authors' claims when notes and references are not included. Those who wish to check facts or read more will find that Aptowicz has included plentiful resources. As I had an ARC, the fact that the index was not yet in the book disappointed me, but I'm quite sure that the "real" book will not have that problem.
So why did I give this four stars instead of five? Well, the author does jump around quite a bit, taking several sections of this chronological narrative out of order in a way that can be rather confusing. She's also a bit inconsistent with her treatment of other doctors/medical researchers at the time. Some of them get plenty of coverage, but others are not even named when she discusses the effects of their discoveries on Mütter and his work. She also praises the medical community in Paris at the time but ignores the tremendous influence of the medical world in Edinburgh -- including the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh, which had been in existence for over 100 years before Mütter got his "original" idea of creating a similar museum. I have a hard time believing that Mütter would have heard NOTHING of the medical advancements in Scotland when he was supposedly so very influenced by Europeans and the community in Paris. Surely the Europeans would have been discussing the hot topics of the day from the medical communities in other large cities! But this is ignored in the book, except for one brief mention of Edinburgh. Thus, I wonder about the thoroughness of some parts of the research, however much I enjoyed -- and I DID enjoy -- the research which is included.
But on the whole, I found this to be a very good and fascinating read. I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in American history, medical history, women's history (there is must on women's health here), or general gruesomeness (surgery required a very strong stomach).
August 16, 2014
Exhaustively researched and fifteen years in the making, Cristin Aptowicz’s biography of Dr. Thomas Dent Muller, 1840s and 1850s Philadelphia surgeon and teacher, is much more than a narrow biography. Aptowicz paints detailed portraits of Philadelphia society, of the early state of American medical training, and of the conditions of Western medicine before the Civil War. Mutter began his surgical career before anesthesia, before the infectious causes of disease were even guessed at, and when 20% of American children died before their first birthday. From his training, continuing study, and lively intellect Mutter initiated both surgical and teaching techniques that put him at the forefront of American – even European – medicine. Tragically, the ravages of then-untreatable diseases took Muller at the age of forty-seven.
In Aptowicz’s hands Mutter’s desires and demons are both forceful and clear, and the changes he introduced to medicine and medical teaching are understood as the groundbreaking moves they were at the time. At least one surgical procedure named for him is still in use.
The writing is smooth and appealing and the characters and society are deftly and clearly rendered. We learn as much about mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia and America as we do about Mutter and his colleagues. Aptowicz’s years of research and effort to bring Mutter’s story to life are rewarded by the fluidity and rich content of Dr. Mutter’s Marvels. It’s a story to be read and a life to be celebrated.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
In Aptowicz’s hands Mutter’s desires and demons are both forceful and clear, and the changes he introduced to medicine and medical teaching are understood as the groundbreaking moves they were at the time. At least one surgical procedure named for him is still in use.
The writing is smooth and appealing and the characters and society are deftly and clearly rendered. We learn as much about mid-nineteenth century Philadelphia and America as we do about Mutter and his colleagues. Aptowicz’s years of research and effort to bring Mutter’s story to life are rewarded by the fluidity and rich content of Dr. Mutter’s Marvels. It’s a story to be read and a life to be celebrated.
>>Support independent bookstores by buying real books from real stores where you can talk with real booksellers.<<
July 12, 2019
4.5 stars
I visited the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia twice, both when I was in the eighth grade. The area where I had the most interest was an exhibit titled "When the President is the Patient," which had to do with abnormal medicine pertaining to the U.S. Presidents and contained such features as a tumor removed from Grover Cleveland's jaw and a piece of Charles Guiteau (who shot James Garfield)'s brain. The museum itself is a collection of anatomical items, keepsakes, and other related items that Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter collected from his surgeries and experiences during his tenure as a surgeon and surgeon administration and instructor at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, where he taught for 16 years. Approaching this book, I thought that the area of concentration would be placed on the abnormal medicine that was connected to Dr. Mutter's experiences and thus his collection of what he accumulated over the years, but this book turned out being much more and much more fulfilling at that. This book served as a biography for Dr. Mutter, the impact he made on medicine and the way we treat patients, and also the people around him that had an impact on his world and on medicine in general.
Dr. Mutter was born in 1811 and orphaned by the time he was seven. He ultimately went to live with a relative of the family, who was not much older than he was. While he was given his basic needs, such as food and shelter and nothing more, his guardian was supportive of his pursuit to enter medicine. While the University of Pennsylvania was the premiere college for medical prospects, a doctor by the name of George McClellan (not to be mixed up with the Civil War general) did not agree with their methodologies and went on to find his own college, Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Mutter was struggling to find footing in the United States and went to Paris to develop some training before returning to the United States. He did not achieve success until he was able to make his way through Jefferson Medical College as an instructor and then ultimately the chief surgeon of the college.
Dr. Mutter stood out, because he keep a good eye on the attire that he wore, taught with compassion and demonstrated compassion as he performed his surgeries, and perhaps the most important trait of his was that he was able to accept and embrace the forward progress that came with medicine. Where as many of his peers and colleagues remained stubborn and held more concern for their reputation than they did for the best that medical advancements had to offer, Mutter encouraged it, even if it meant that his articles, texts, and statements were to become immediately irrelevant. The greatest examples pertained to the use of ether and anesthetics in surgery and how colleagues like gynecological surgeon Dr. Charles D. Meigs not only detested it, but preached against it and attempted to demonstrate its negative effects in classes.
Unfortunately, Dr. Mutter's health declined very quickly due to health issues he picked up early on in life that forced him into early retirement and he died in 1859. The book does explore his efforts into having his collection be made accessible for the general public to view which would eventually become the Mutter Museum, where the general individual(s) would pay an accessible fee for entry while medical students would receive free entry.
"Dr. Mutter's Marvels" is an important piece for anyone that is getting into or is merely interested in learning more about medicine. This book gives us a better idea of how brutal society was in 19th century America as far as illness was concerned and how dysentery, measles, yellow fever, and other conditions could lead to death. Even something as simple as a common cold could lead to early death and children was especially vulnerable. This book is incredibly accessible, has chapters that are no more than 15 pages long and even those chapters are split up by ideas. We get to explore some of Dr. Mutter's major surgeries, such as a pioneer to plastic surgery that takes healthy skin to replace burnt or damaged facial skin in what we know today as "The Mutter Flap" and there are visuals that help us develop a clearer image of what is taking place.
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz is straightforward with how acquiring information about Dr. Mutter proved to be a challenge, as there was not too many primary information about him. He was married, but never had children, and there is no information pertaining to why he never had children, which she brings up. She does introduce several people into the story that hold some relevance in some way, shape, or form, and the closure could have been a bit better for most of them and for most of the others introduced in this book. I do, however, find this to be a very small gripe compared to all of the feats and accomplishments that this book provides for readers.
I feel that this book will make readers better people. It will make them more aware of the history of medicine, it will make them smarter, and it will make them more understanding and empathetic of one another. While I first associated Dr. Mutter as being an eccentric surgeon and collector, I now see him as being a revolutionary, compassionate surgeon that desired mostly to make the world a better place with his strengths and what he had to offer. I was looking to get into the history of medicine and learn more about medicine in general and this book was a great way to spark my curiosity and quench my desires to learn even more.
I visited the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia twice, both when I was in the eighth grade. The area where I had the most interest was an exhibit titled "When the President is the Patient," which had to do with abnormal medicine pertaining to the U.S. Presidents and contained such features as a tumor removed from Grover Cleveland's jaw and a piece of Charles Guiteau (who shot James Garfield)'s brain. The museum itself is a collection of anatomical items, keepsakes, and other related items that Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter collected from his surgeries and experiences during his tenure as a surgeon and surgeon administration and instructor at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, where he taught for 16 years. Approaching this book, I thought that the area of concentration would be placed on the abnormal medicine that was connected to Dr. Mutter's experiences and thus his collection of what he accumulated over the years, but this book turned out being much more and much more fulfilling at that. This book served as a biography for Dr. Mutter, the impact he made on medicine and the way we treat patients, and also the people around him that had an impact on his world and on medicine in general.
Dr. Mutter was born in 1811 and orphaned by the time he was seven. He ultimately went to live with a relative of the family, who was not much older than he was. While he was given his basic needs, such as food and shelter and nothing more, his guardian was supportive of his pursuit to enter medicine. While the University of Pennsylvania was the premiere college for medical prospects, a doctor by the name of George McClellan (not to be mixed up with the Civil War general) did not agree with their methodologies and went on to find his own college, Jefferson Medical College. Dr. Mutter was struggling to find footing in the United States and went to Paris to develop some training before returning to the United States. He did not achieve success until he was able to make his way through Jefferson Medical College as an instructor and then ultimately the chief surgeon of the college.
Dr. Mutter stood out, because he keep a good eye on the attire that he wore, taught with compassion and demonstrated compassion as he performed his surgeries, and perhaps the most important trait of his was that he was able to accept and embrace the forward progress that came with medicine. Where as many of his peers and colleagues remained stubborn and held more concern for their reputation than they did for the best that medical advancements had to offer, Mutter encouraged it, even if it meant that his articles, texts, and statements were to become immediately irrelevant. The greatest examples pertained to the use of ether and anesthetics in surgery and how colleagues like gynecological surgeon Dr. Charles D. Meigs not only detested it, but preached against it and attempted to demonstrate its negative effects in classes.
Unfortunately, Dr. Mutter's health declined very quickly due to health issues he picked up early on in life that forced him into early retirement and he died in 1859. The book does explore his efforts into having his collection be made accessible for the general public to view which would eventually become the Mutter Museum, where the general individual(s) would pay an accessible fee for entry while medical students would receive free entry.
"Dr. Mutter's Marvels" is an important piece for anyone that is getting into or is merely interested in learning more about medicine. This book gives us a better idea of how brutal society was in 19th century America as far as illness was concerned and how dysentery, measles, yellow fever, and other conditions could lead to death. Even something as simple as a common cold could lead to early death and children was especially vulnerable. This book is incredibly accessible, has chapters that are no more than 15 pages long and even those chapters are split up by ideas. We get to explore some of Dr. Mutter's major surgeries, such as a pioneer to plastic surgery that takes healthy skin to replace burnt or damaged facial skin in what we know today as "The Mutter Flap" and there are visuals that help us develop a clearer image of what is taking place.
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz is straightforward with how acquiring information about Dr. Mutter proved to be a challenge, as there was not too many primary information about him. He was married, but never had children, and there is no information pertaining to why he never had children, which she brings up. She does introduce several people into the story that hold some relevance in some way, shape, or form, and the closure could have been a bit better for most of them and for most of the others introduced in this book. I do, however, find this to be a very small gripe compared to all of the feats and accomplishments that this book provides for readers.
I feel that this book will make readers better people. It will make them more aware of the history of medicine, it will make them smarter, and it will make them more understanding and empathetic of one another. While I first associated Dr. Mutter as being an eccentric surgeon and collector, I now see him as being a revolutionary, compassionate surgeon that desired mostly to make the world a better place with his strengths and what he had to offer. I was looking to get into the history of medicine and learn more about medicine in general and this book was a great way to spark my curiosity and quench my desires to learn even more.
August 23, 2014
I got this book thru the Early Review program on LibraryThing and Gotham Books. It is generally the biography of 19th Century plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Mutter, but it is also a history of the dawn of modern medical schools in Philadelphia.
I had never really heard of Dr. Mutter, except for the museum that bears his name. (A very eclectic medical collection that I would like one day to visit). The book documents his quick rise at the Jefferson Medical College as both a professor and wunderkind of surgery. He pioneered techniques that still hold his name today, was a early advocate of ether and nitrous oxide in surgery (around the mid 1840s). It was amazing both the resistance that the medical community had to anesthesia and the surgeries that they were able to accomplish WITHOUT it.
The story is also about those around him, including Charles Meigs (one of the most famous obstetricians at the time), who was one of Mutter's main foes against the use of anesthesia, as well as how life in the 19th century affected how medicine was taught and practiced. Disease, overcrowding in the cities and working conditions being chief among them.
No spoilers here, cause its on the back of the book, but Mutter died very young at 48 (ironically, for me, I just turned 48 this week) due to chronic ill health. He was just hitting his stride and I wonder what more he could have accomplished if he had lived. I think its telling that a lot of the "characters" in the book have wikipedia pages, but Mutter does not. Except for the museum, he doesn't seem to be well known in modern times. This book might help remedy this for some. A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
Some interesting passages that struck me when I was reading:
"I think anesthesia is of the devil," William Atkinson, the first president of the American Dental Association said, "and I cannot give my sanction to any Satanic influence which deprives a man of the capacity to recognize law! I wish there were no such thing as anesthesia! I do not think men should be prevented from passing through what God intended them to endure!" (yikes, and I hate going to the dentist in the 21st Century)
(As Mutter began to recognize his mortality...) "Before, Mutter had felt it was his role to lead by example, to show his students the heights they should strive to reach, even though their own talents and abilities would likely never match his own. But now, Mutter realized his task was to create doctors who could replace him."
S: 8/9/14 F: 8/17/14 (9 Days)
I had never really heard of Dr. Mutter, except for the museum that bears his name. (A very eclectic medical collection that I would like one day to visit). The book documents his quick rise at the Jefferson Medical College as both a professor and wunderkind of surgery. He pioneered techniques that still hold his name today, was a early advocate of ether and nitrous oxide in surgery (around the mid 1840s). It was amazing both the resistance that the medical community had to anesthesia and the surgeries that they were able to accomplish WITHOUT it.
The story is also about those around him, including Charles Meigs (one of the most famous obstetricians at the time), who was one of Mutter's main foes against the use of anesthesia, as well as how life in the 19th century affected how medicine was taught and practiced. Disease, overcrowding in the cities and working conditions being chief among them.
No spoilers here, cause its on the back of the book, but Mutter died very young at 48 (ironically, for me, I just turned 48 this week) due to chronic ill health. He was just hitting his stride and I wonder what more he could have accomplished if he had lived. I think its telling that a lot of the "characters" in the book have wikipedia pages, but Mutter does not. Except for the museum, he doesn't seem to be well known in modern times. This book might help remedy this for some. A fascinating book about a fascinating man.
Some interesting passages that struck me when I was reading:
"I think anesthesia is of the devil," William Atkinson, the first president of the American Dental Association said, "and I cannot give my sanction to any Satanic influence which deprives a man of the capacity to recognize law! I wish there were no such thing as anesthesia! I do not think men should be prevented from passing through what God intended them to endure!" (yikes, and I hate going to the dentist in the 21st Century)
(As Mutter began to recognize his mortality...) "Before, Mutter had felt it was his role to lead by example, to show his students the heights they should strive to reach, even though their own talents and abilities would likely never match his own. But now, Mutter realized his task was to create doctors who could replace him."
S: 8/9/14 F: 8/17/14 (9 Days)
May 27, 2015
Creative nonfiction at its finest. Aptowicz creates a story that is not only riddled with facts and insights about 19th century Philadelphia and its medical community but entertaining and spirited.
As someone who has visited the Mutter Museum and was enthralled with the rather extensive morbid collection of diseased bones and unusual tissue samples, I came into the book expecting a rather Gothic tale but was pleased to find a well-crafted tale about the museum's namesake and his influence on the Philadelphia medical community. Aptowicz traces Mutter's life from dandified orphan to medical legend, and from there, she examines not only his influences in Paris but how he affected an entire generation of doctors through his time at Jefferson College. Her affection for Mutter is evident, and while some may mention his lack of negative traits throughout the narrative, I would argue that a great man who contributed so much to science and the treatment of patients as human beings rather than cases and dollar signs, can be forgiven for being portrayed as rather perfect. It would also be difficult to portray Mutter's negative side as there is little left that was written by his own hand, and without personal letters or diaries, it would be hard to stipulate how the man was outside of the classroom or hospital where he would be his "true" self. My only other quibble with the text also stems from a lack of personal letters. The reader learns very little about Mary Mutter, and while she pops up several times during the text, she is nearly forgotten for most of the story. I would love to see Mary given a voice, but I do understand that without a diary or personal letters, portraying her role in his life would be difficult.
Overall, Dr. Mutter;s Marvels was entertaining, enlightening, and a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in medical history, especially during a time when modern medicine was rapidly evolving yet still in its infancy.
As someone who has visited the Mutter Museum and was enthralled with the rather extensive morbid collection of diseased bones and unusual tissue samples, I came into the book expecting a rather Gothic tale but was pleased to find a well-crafted tale about the museum's namesake and his influence on the Philadelphia medical community. Aptowicz traces Mutter's life from dandified orphan to medical legend, and from there, she examines not only his influences in Paris but how he affected an entire generation of doctors through his time at Jefferson College. Her affection for Mutter is evident, and while some may mention his lack of negative traits throughout the narrative, I would argue that a great man who contributed so much to science and the treatment of patients as human beings rather than cases and dollar signs, can be forgiven for being portrayed as rather perfect. It would also be difficult to portray Mutter's negative side as there is little left that was written by his own hand, and without personal letters or diaries, it would be hard to stipulate how the man was outside of the classroom or hospital where he would be his "true" self. My only other quibble with the text also stems from a lack of personal letters. The reader learns very little about Mary Mutter, and while she pops up several times during the text, she is nearly forgotten for most of the story. I would love to see Mary given a voice, but I do understand that without a diary or personal letters, portraying her role in his life would be difficult.
Overall, Dr. Mutter;s Marvels was entertaining, enlightening, and a fascinating read for anyone who is interested in medical history, especially during a time when modern medicine was rapidly evolving yet still in its infancy.
November 4, 2014
A lot of people, especially ones with a bit of a macabre turn of mind, have heard of Philadelphia’s Mutter Museum. It’s a medical museum, filled with skeletons, body parts in jars, and engravings of surgeries. But collection was not meant to be some sensationalist tourist stop; Mutter’s collection was for teaching medical students by showing them what diseases looked like in the body so they could recognize it. He felt it was vital that specimens like these be available.
Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter was an amazing man. He became a doctor while young (there wasn’t as much schooling required in that era to become a doctor), studying in France where surgical techniques were far advanced from those in the US. He not only became a remarkable surgeon- he was ambidextrous- but he brought to America the practice of actually washing his hands and tools in between patients and was an early adopter of the use of anesthesia for operations. He performed a lot of reconstructive surgeries on victims of fires and accidents. He convinced the medical college to purchase some rooms that could be used for patient recovery- previously patients were put out in a cart and taken home as soon as the surgery was over. He thought of patients as actual people instead of just the operation performed on them. He instituted a lot of things we take for granted in hospitals today. Sadly, he died young.
The author has consulted many primary sources for this biography. Descriptions of the surgeries Mutter performed are taken from his own writings. It’s not just a biography of Mutter, but in many ways a biography of surgical practices in America. Very interesting and a fast read.
Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter was an amazing man. He became a doctor while young (there wasn’t as much schooling required in that era to become a doctor), studying in France where surgical techniques were far advanced from those in the US. He not only became a remarkable surgeon- he was ambidextrous- but he brought to America the practice of actually washing his hands and tools in between patients and was an early adopter of the use of anesthesia for operations. He performed a lot of reconstructive surgeries on victims of fires and accidents. He convinced the medical college to purchase some rooms that could be used for patient recovery- previously patients were put out in a cart and taken home as soon as the surgery was over. He thought of patients as actual people instead of just the operation performed on them. He instituted a lot of things we take for granted in hospitals today. Sadly, he died young.
The author has consulted many primary sources for this biography. Descriptions of the surgeries Mutter performed are taken from his own writings. It’s not just a biography of Mutter, but in many ways a biography of surgical practices in America. Very interesting and a fast read.
November 30, 2020
We are taken through the biography Dr. Mutter and early stages of medicine. The legacy of "marvels" that are housed in his museum are from patients that were learned from at the hospital school and his practice. While they are a curiosity to our eye and mind, these were real people that sought the last chance of help from Mutter. We learn of his bedside manner, empathy, and sympathy of his patients.
We discover how the early Philadelphis hospital was formed, his colleagues, predjudices, biases, and customs of the time influenced this area of culture as well. Mutter was quite the pioneer and slightly Sherlock-ian in the medical field.
Good narration made this engaging and enjoyable on the ear.
We discover how the early Philadelphis hospital was formed, his colleagues, predjudices, biases, and customs of the time influenced this area of culture as well. Mutter was quite the pioneer and slightly Sherlock-ian in the medical field.
Good narration made this engaging and enjoyable on the ear.
October 25, 2014
Not only a beautiful retelling of the life of one of medicine's brightest and most sympathetic souls, but a lovely remembrance of how he went on to shape the face of modern medicine after his much-too-early death. I particularly enjoyed the tracing of his effects upon the lives of his students and how they, in turn, fathered institutions and practices that further cemented Mutter's impact on medical history, not just in his lifetime, but changes that still ripple through how we view medicine, and the practice thereof, today. A great read, and one that I can recommend without a moment's hesitation.
March 2, 2021
Dr. Mutter's museum of medical specimens in Philadelphia was developed in the first half of the nineteenth century when he collected material to illustrate his lectures and surgical procedures at Jefferson Medical College. Several collections of photos and brief explanations of exhibits are available online and the museum is still open to the public but my recommendation is to read this book as the first step in understanding the context of the practice of medicine, medical education and the reality of surgery before the use of anesthesia and aseptic techniques in the operating room. Well written, throughly researched, excellent references. Dr. Mutter developed reconstructive plastic surgery. Emphasized the patient as well as the emotional aspects of care in a brutal world of knives and blood. After the reading the book I felt I knew the man.
January 12, 2016
I'm going to Philadelphia at the end of the month, and already planned on visiting the Mutter Museum - so when I saw this in the nonfiction new releases section of the library, I knew I had to read it! I'm very glad I did. This is exactly in my wheelhouse - narrative nonfiction (think Devil in the White City) - and I was enraptured from page 1.
This book does a fantastic job of presenting a living, breathing historical figure, while also fleshing out the times and places through which he moved. I knew little of Mutter before I started the book - just that his collection of "medical oddities" could be found in his namesake museum - and that's not exactly the nicest thing to know about someone. If anything, the idea of someone collecting these mementos of suffering and deformity seemed a little ghoulish or exploitative. But now that I've read the book, I see it in an entirely new light. Mutter lived in a time of tremendous scientific upheaval in the medical community, and was often a champion of progressive medical ideals - promoting an antiseptic environment before germ theory was understood, embracing anesthesia when so many doctors were originally against it, promoting round-the-clock care for surgical patients at a time when they were usually simply put into a carriage and sent home after their procedures - but his greatest gift was his compassion for his patients. He sought out the most difficult cases, and despite how they appeared physically, he saw them as human beings who deserved honesty and compassionate care. His collection is a reflection of that - reminders of human suffering, but also human endurance and capability, and overall a testament to the progress made in the field of medicine.
Annual Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with alliteration in the title
This book does a fantastic job of presenting a living, breathing historical figure, while also fleshing out the times and places through which he moved. I knew little of Mutter before I started the book - just that his collection of "medical oddities" could be found in his namesake museum - and that's not exactly the nicest thing to know about someone. If anything, the idea of someone collecting these mementos of suffering and deformity seemed a little ghoulish or exploitative. But now that I've read the book, I see it in an entirely new light. Mutter lived in a time of tremendous scientific upheaval in the medical community, and was often a champion of progressive medical ideals - promoting an antiseptic environment before germ theory was understood, embracing anesthesia when so many doctors were originally against it, promoting round-the-clock care for surgical patients at a time when they were usually simply put into a carriage and sent home after their procedures - but his greatest gift was his compassion for his patients. He sought out the most difficult cases, and despite how they appeared physically, he saw them as human beings who deserved honesty and compassionate care. His collection is a reflection of that - reminders of human suffering, but also human endurance and capability, and overall a testament to the progress made in the field of medicine.
Annual Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with alliteration in the title
August 11, 2014
Let me start off by saying that I received this book as an ARC Goodreads Giveaway.
Aptowicz's biography proved to be a delightful read. In Dr. Mutter's Marvels she examines the life of Thomas Dent Mutter, a brilliant plastic surgeon in 1800's Philadelphia. Besides innovating the Mutter flap that would be used for over a hundred years after his death he also was among the first to successfully use anesthesia during surgery. Most importantly for his patients he understood the concept of cleanliness and practiced sterilization protocols long before Koch postulated his germ theory.
It is evident that Aptowicz did an abundance of research for this book. In some portions it reads more as a biography of Jefferson Medical College's Faculty of '41, including such prominent doctors as Dr. Joseph Pancoast, Dr. Charles Meigs, and Dr. John Kearsley Mitchell. But sometimes in order to put someone's life into perspective you need to see them in the light of both their friends and adversaries.
I've read some reviews on here and I recognize the frustration some academics and historians had with how Aptowicz deals with references. Typically if one were to use notes pages they would also have in text citations that refer the reader from their place within the prose to the corresponding notes at the back of the book. Alternatively one could do as Mary Roach has done and include the notes right there on the page. I found this approach aided in my understanding of the subject matter and allowed me to enjoy her book even more.
Aptowicz's biography proved to be a delightful read. In Dr. Mutter's Marvels she examines the life of Thomas Dent Mutter, a brilliant plastic surgeon in 1800's Philadelphia. Besides innovating the Mutter flap that would be used for over a hundred years after his death he also was among the first to successfully use anesthesia during surgery. Most importantly for his patients he understood the concept of cleanliness and practiced sterilization protocols long before Koch postulated his germ theory.
It is evident that Aptowicz did an abundance of research for this book. In some portions it reads more as a biography of Jefferson Medical College's Faculty of '41, including such prominent doctors as Dr. Joseph Pancoast, Dr. Charles Meigs, and Dr. John Kearsley Mitchell. But sometimes in order to put someone's life into perspective you need to see them in the light of both their friends and adversaries.
I've read some reviews on here and I recognize the frustration some academics and historians had with how Aptowicz deals with references. Typically if one were to use notes pages they would also have in text citations that refer the reader from their place within the prose to the corresponding notes at the back of the book. Alternatively one could do as Mary Roach has done and include the notes right there on the page. I found this approach aided in my understanding of the subject matter and allowed me to enjoy her book even more.
February 3, 2016
A little too purple and adjective-laden to rate a five, and the book as a whole struck me as being almost more about the state of medicine in Philadelphia in the early nineteenth century than as about Mutter himself. (The umlaut was an affectation.)
Otherwise it's an interesting book. There's more conjecture and interpolation than I'd like in a biography, but honestly: Mutter would have disappeared from the attention of all but avid historians of medicine, were it not for the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. (No, I've never gone, but I wouldn't mind.) In any case, most people's lives go so poorly documented that few of us would rate more than a couple of lines in Who's Who. When and where were we born? Did we serve in the military? Graduate college? ...and that's about it, a century later. Mutter did at least leave a record of publications, and a teaching career.
Otherwise it's an interesting book. There's more conjecture and interpolation than I'd like in a biography, but honestly: Mutter would have disappeared from the attention of all but avid historians of medicine, were it not for the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. (No, I've never gone, but I wouldn't mind.) In any case, most people's lives go so poorly documented that few of us would rate more than a couple of lines in Who's Who. When and where were we born? Did we serve in the military? Graduate college? ...and that's about it, a century later. Mutter did at least leave a record of publications, and a teaching career.
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